Gia Hoa Hotel

The reception guys were kind and helpful, though they didn’t understand English, so we used Google Translate. I had a pleasant stay and enjoyed the friendly Vietnamese people around me, even though people on the street didn’t understand what I asked them. For the price, the hotel was excellent for the couple of days I needed in Ho Chi Minh City. My first-floor room had a city view. It was small but clean, with very white sheets and towels and a comfortable mattress and pillows. There was a TV, hairdryer, refrigerator, shampoo, shower gel, toothbrush, comb, and cotton swabs. I asked reception for a kettle. No soap was provided, but I got two bottles of water each day. The shower was warm, though the bathroom stayed wet because the drain didn’t seem properly angled and the water didn’t fully run off. The airport is nearby, about an easy 18-minute walk for me. I changed Thai baht at the airport, but couldn’t find a currency exchange near the hotel, and a bank I found wouldn’t exchange it. The selection across from the 7/11 is very limited; farther along at the corner, there’s a Mini Stop with a better range of groceries and other things. I tried walking to the Buddhist temple but couldn’t cross the street because the traffic was wild and there were no traffic lights.

For A$20 a night, it’s a reasonable and fairly comfortable place for one night. The location works well, with the airport about an 18-minute walk away, a 711 across the road, and restaurants within two minutes. The walls are paper thin.

I stayed just one night. The room was clean and the service was nice. The airport location is handy, with a 711 directly across the street and lots of food and coffee stalls right outside.

The noise was unbearable, and I left before my stay was over. I asked the staff for the room I had requested, but they put me in a worse one, with no closing window or fan. I felt cheated out of my money. Check the room before agreeing to pay.